Is the economy improving or not? The last few months our prospects looked brighter. But now, not so sure.
President Obama is certainly optimistic, taking credit for recovery, adding jobs and lowering oil prices. But all the added jobs in the private sector are in Texas. And all additional oil drilling has been on private and state land; none on federal land that he controls. The economy is growing at a 3% rate but that is only adequate because the rest of the world is doing worse. Actually, as Steve Forbes said, “in the sixth year of a recovery, never before in history has there been such a punk recovery from a sharp economic downturn.”
Congress passed a bill to allow construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. But the President says he will veto it. He is also determined to shut down the Alaska pipeline by permanently prohibiting drilling on federal lands in northern Alaska. If Saudi Arabia had not declared a price war on other oil producing countries (by keeping production high) we would be paying $4 a gallon for gasoline and even Democrats would vote to override the veto.
President Obama has prohibited anyone in his administration from using the term Islamic terrorist. He and his spokesmen are committing verbal contortions to avoid using the term to describe the Taliban, Al-Qaida, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Jihadists, and a few others with similar names. He has even persuaded the Al Jazeera network to ban the term. So, what should they call a bunch of masked men with automatic rifles who shoot victims, cut off heads, while praising Allah? Are they deer hunters with bad eyesight? To call them “armed insurgents” or “militants” sounds too peaceful and tranquil for murdering thugs.
The ISIS terrorists have beheaded Americans, British, Japanese and a few others. They are threatening to behead a Jordanian pilot, but Jordan has offered to trade a female Islamic terrorist they captured in return for the pilot. Are they kidding? ISIS and these other Islamic terror groups put no value on a woman, zero. Even a woman willing to strap bombs under her Muslim dress and blow up an Army post gets no respect from Islamic terrorists.
Meanwhile 90 miles south of our Florida coast, the Castros are making fools of our negotiators. They insist that in return for our offer to help Cuba enter the 21st century, we must give them Gitmo, pay a hundred billion dollars in cash, and hold the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Havana. President Obama would love to let them have Gitmo, but he is pondering the other two.
Mitt Romney decided he did not want to be another William Jennings Bryan. So he turned the Republican horse race over to younger candidates. If we can convince the other Republicans to drop out at a rate of one a month, the race will be down to a manageable number by the time they land in Cleveland for their convention in July 2016.
The New England Patriots squeezed out a Super Bowl win, 28-24, over Seattle. This is not the first time a team won by stopping an opponent on the one-yard line. First time it was ever with an interception.
Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“Can you imagine? This town of Cleveland wants the Republican and Democratic conventions both in 1928. The Republican Convention will be held further west… And as for the Democratic one, a sanity test will follow any town purposely asking for it.” DT #228, Apr. 15, 1927